"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." - Katharine Hepburn

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

Vacation going great... except for the food poisoning

Well, here we are, Day 4 of the Great New Jersey Christmas Holiday Adventure. No snow, but very cold and windy, as befits the first day of winter, I suppose. (No, we did not get up to see the lunar eclipse, although jet lag forced me awake just after it was all over.) My family is doing well and I was so happy to see all of them, including my new future niece-in-law. My nephew chose a beautiful ring for his beautiful girl. His sister is doing great at college and loves it, but she's happy to be reunited with HER sweetie and her friends. Georges' daughter has been really enjoying herself being back here, and that makes me feel great that she's having a good time already... especially since this part of New Jersey isn't what you'd call exciting.

We've mainly been shopping and eating out in restaurants. Our Christmas shopping is finished, I think, and I've done some personal shopping for myself, and Georges got some clothes as well (kind of pre-spending the Christmas gift money I know my mother will be giving us). My sister and her husband have to work part of the week so we've just been doing our own thing. The jet lag's been kind of a pain for all three of us but that's par for the course. Hopefully the worst is over now and we'll get a better sleep tonight.

Oh, the food poisoning? Happened (I think) about two hours ago. We were in a very chi-chi mall about an hour from here, at a restaurant I've eaten in before and that has a good rep, and got a crab cake salad, same as my friend Laura, with whom we were lunching. At first, she thought HER crab cake smelled funny but I didn't think it did, and neither did Georges, and MINE tasted just wonderful. About 20 minutes after the meal was over, I was walking through the mall (we'd all split up to do our shopping) and started to feel like I was walking through quicksand... woozy, legs felt wobbly. Took care of the one item I was there to purchase in Nordstrom's (another underwire bra I can't wear through airport security) but the whole time I was in the store, I was all, "Hey, hurry up, I need to get the hell out of this mall before I fall down!" I made it back to where Georges was waiting but then ended up sick in the ladies room, several times, until I felt I could safely leave the mall.

And here is where, once again, I am eternally grateful to the eye surgeon who gave Georges the gift of radically improved eyesight. Because I was in NO condition to be driving us an hour home. So even though we hadn't planned on Georges driving on the crazy NJ highways (he has driven already on the local roads around my small hometown), he took the wheel and was brilliant. He enjoys driving, too, and it's so great that we can now share the driving on vacations, no matter where we happen to be!

I've been back for about an hour with no further incident, although I don't feel so terrific at the moment. My friend who also ate the crab cakes seems fine, fortunately, so I am hoping that whatever this is, it's limited to me alone and will kind of work itself out by the time we have to pick the oldest up at the airport tomorrow around mid-day.

Assuming, of course, that he manages to get back to Paris from Barcelona tonight, in time to pick up his big suitcase and go BACK to the airport to get on his flight for New Jersey. And assuming that THAT flight is going to be roughly on schedule, or at least depart some time tomorrow. We'll feel a lot better once we see him at the airport... this weather situation in Europe has sure been creating headaches for a lot of people, including friends of mine (I sure hope kSam is finally at her destination in Minnesota after having what sounds a bit like a scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles).

I haven't had the chance yet to reconnect with my best friend, as her entire family has some kind of upper respiratory thing that we don't want to catch, and now here *I* am feeling a bit nasty as well. So hopefully we'll get to spend some time together after Christmas.

Comments

Vacation going great... except for the food poisoning

Well, here we are, Day 4 of the Great New Jersey Christmas Holiday Adventure. No snow, but very cold and windy, as befits the first day of winter, I suppose. (No, we did not get up to see the lunar eclipse, although jet lag forced me awake just after it was all over.) My family is doing well and I was so happy to see all of them, including my new future niece-in-law. My nephew chose a beautiful ring for his beautiful girl. His sister is doing great at college and loves it, but she's happy to be reunited with HER sweetie and her friends. Georges' daughter has been really enjoying herself being back here, and that makes me feel great that she's having a good time already... especially since this part of New Jersey isn't what you'd call exciting.

We've mainly been shopping and eating out in restaurants. Our Christmas shopping is finished, I think, and I've done some personal shopping for myself, and Georges got some clothes as well (kind of pre-spending the Christmas gift money I know my mother will be giving us). My sister and her husband have to work part of the week so we've just been doing our own thing. The jet lag's been kind of a pain for all three of us but that's par for the course. Hopefully the worst is over now and we'll get a better sleep tonight.

Oh, the food poisoning? Happened (I think) about two hours ago. We were in a very chi-chi mall about an hour from here, at a restaurant I've eaten in before and that has a good rep, and got a crab cake salad, same as my friend Laura, with whom we were lunching. At first, she thought HER crab cake smelled funny but I didn't think it did, and neither did Georges, and MINE tasted just wonderful. About 20 minutes after the meal was over, I was walking through the mall (we'd all split up to do our shopping) and started to feel like I was walking through quicksand... woozy, legs felt wobbly. Took care of the one item I was there to purchase in Nordstrom's (another underwire bra I can't wear through airport security) but the whole time I was in the store, I was all, "Hey, hurry up, I need to get the hell out of this mall before I fall down!" I made it back to where Georges was waiting but then ended up sick in the ladies room, several times, until I felt I could safely leave the mall.

And here is where, once again, I am eternally grateful to the eye surgeon who gave Georges the gift of radically improved eyesight. Because I was in NO condition to be driving us an hour home. So even though we hadn't planned on Georges driving on the crazy NJ highways (he has driven already on the local roads around my small hometown), he took the wheel and was brilliant. He enjoys driving, too, and it's so great that we can now share the driving on vacations, no matter where we happen to be!

I've been back for about an hour with no further incident, although I don't feel so terrific at the moment. My friend who also ate the crab cakes seems fine, fortunately, so I am hoping that whatever this is, it's limited to me alone and will kind of work itself out by the time we have to pick the oldest up at the airport tomorrow around mid-day.

Assuming, of course, that he manages to get back to Paris from Barcelona tonight, in time to pick up his big suitcase and go BACK to the airport to get on his flight for New Jersey. And assuming that THAT flight is going to be roughly on schedule, or at least depart some time tomorrow. We'll feel a lot better once we see him at the airport... this weather situation in Europe has sure been creating headaches for a lot of people, including friends of mine (I sure hope kSam is finally at her destination in Minnesota after having what sounds a bit like a scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles).

I haven't had the chance yet to reconnect with my best friend, as her entire family has some kind of upper respiratory thing that we don't want to catch, and now here *I* am feeling a bit nasty as well. So hopefully we'll get to spend some time together after Christmas.

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